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Next morning, the duty of the ship went on as usual, until the men had breakfasted, when we stood again into the bay. This time, we hove-to so as to get one of the buoys, when we dropped the stream, leaving the top-sails set. We then hove up the anchor, securing the range of cable that was bent to it.
As we got near we could distinguish the people hanging to the bottom of the boat, one of them sitting astride of her and holding up a lantern. We immediately hove-to, and lowered a boat to take them on board. It then appeared that the boat had been stove in by a whale, when the mate and his men clung on to her, the whale fortunately not molesting them.
The meeting was held in the main cabin; a chart of the coast was produced; and after a considerable amount of discussion it was finally determined to provision, water, and equip the longboat, remain hove-to where they were until nightfall, and then, filling on the ship, work her in toward the land until she was as close inshore as it would be prudent to take her, when the longboat was to be hoisted out and dispatched with a crew of four men, under the command of Marshall himself who was the only man aboard who could speak Spanish reasonably well.
She was showing a storm-staysail; and at first sight we supposed her to be hove-to; but she drove down towards us so fast that we soon came to the conclusion that there must be something wrong with her steering-gear, and as she drew nearer it became evident that she was unmanageable, falling off occasionally until she was almost dead before the wind; and we could see that whenever this happened the sea made a clean breach over her.
We then changed our colours for English, and fired a shot across their bows. They were evidently taken by surprise, and did not seem to know what to do. We fired another shot to quicken their imagination. On this they hove-to and hauled down their colours. Directly afterwards a boat came alongside from each or the strangers. The masters of the ships apparently were in them.
"The Go-along, from Baltimore, bound for Rio," answered a person on board the brig, through a speaking-trumpet. "Heave-to, if you please, sir, and I will pay you a visit we are in great distress," said Waller. "Ay, ay, sir," was the reply from the brig, as she was speedily brought up on a wind and hove-to.
The despatches from the Hague came down about nine o'clock, and Vanslyperken received them on board. About ten he weighed and made sail, and hove-to about a mile outside, with a light shown as agreed. About the time arranged, a large boat appeared pulling up to the cutter, "Boat, a-hoy!" "King's messenger with despatches," was the reply.
They had a private conversation of fully half an hour, pacing the poop the whole time, and then Cornet was summoned back, again, to his usual station. The latter immediately received an order to acquaint Captain Stowel the rear-admiral desired that the Cæsar might be hove-to, and to make a signal for the Druid 36, to come under the flag-ship's lee, and back her main-top-sail.
We did a pretty thing out here when we took Fort Royal by a coup-de-main, which means, boarding from the main-yard of the frigate, and dropping from it into the fort. But what's that under the moon? that a sail in the offing." Swinburne fetched the glass and directed it to the spot. "One, two, three, four. It's the admiral, sir, and the squadron hove-to for the night.
"Ay, ay, Mr Troubridge, I will. That's the proper thing to do," responded the boatswain, as he bustled away down on to the main deck and wended his way forward to bring up the lead-line. The ship was already hove-to; there should therefore be no difficulty in obtaining absolutely accurate soundings.
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